Treasured Memories
by CursedNocturne
Summary: The three never stopped for the single Shadow that followed them, and soon enough the Heartless let go of that last shred of humanity it had left. And elsewhere, a boy woke up in a small world with an ever-setting sun, his memories slowly returning. Cross-posted on AO3
1. Chapter 1

If the Princess and the hero's friends had stopped for a moment to consider that one, lone Heartless that had followed them, perhaps the Princess could have restored it to human form. Perhaps, with her power, the hero would not have lost himself, and existed alongside an other who knew nothing of his past life, who struggled to understand himself.

But that did not happen here. The three never stopped for the single Shadow that followed them, and soon enough the Heartless let go of that last shred of humanity it had left. And elsewhere, a boy woke up in a small world with an ever-setting sun, his memories slowly returning.

And that, alone, was all it took to make a difference.

"Sora you lazy bum! Wake up!"

"Ya gotta look goofy, like us."

"They say that every world is connected by one great big sky."

"I guess I'm the only one working on the raft."

"Sora, do you like Riku?"

"All for one, and one for all!"

"It's like... something's squeezing me inside."

"Sora? ...Don't ever change."

Sora... That's right, he was Sora! It had been a full day since he had woken up outside of the old mansion on the outskirts of Twilight Town. He had been given a short speech about how nothing was real, a name, Roxas, and a black coat, which he hadn't worn yet. The man who gave it to him said he'd be given a day to decide if he wanted to join or not (Join what, he wondered). And the man he was sitting next to now- Axel, right? He was here to bring him back if he agreed or not. And to eat ice cream together, apparently.

"I just remembered who I am," he said, before taking another bite of his ice cream bar. It tasted like sea-salt, like the Islands he grew up on.

"Oh yeah?" Axel raised an eyebrow at him. "Is the haze clearing then?"

"Kind of." The boy looked out at the sunset. "But... it still feels like something's missing. Like, I know who I am now, but... something's not right. Like I'm not the same person I was."

"That'd be your heart, man," said Axel. "Or, well, your lack of, I mean."

"What do you mean?"

Axel scratched the back of his neck, not looking at the kid. "Well, what's the last thing you remember before you showed up here?"

The boy tilted his head back, thinking. "Well, I was in Hollow Bastion, and I had just gotten the Keyblade back from Riku... Riku!" He quickly scrambled to his feet, maybe a bit too quickly since he nearly lost his balance and needed Axel's help to not fall to the ground below.

"Easy! What's gotten into you?!" Axel kept a gloved hand wrapped around the boy's arm, in case he lost his footing again.

"It's Riku!" The boy looked at him with panicked eyes. "And Kairi too! They were in Hollow Bastion, and Riku was being controlled by this Ansem guy! And I fought him but he disappeared, but then I had to save Kairi so I unlocked my heart, and... and..." He frowned. After that, all he could remember was waking up in Twilight Town. But he had lost his heart so shouldn't he be a Heartless now? So then... "How am I still alive?"

"I'm not sure if I would call either of us here 'alive'," said Axel, a wry smile on his face. "See, you're not really you anymore. You remember that you turned into a Heartless, right?"

"Well, yeah. Kind of." The boy pulled his arm away from Axel and stuck his hands in his pockets. Huh. When had he changed clothes? "I don't exactly remember it very well. But... How can I be anyone other than me?"

"Your heart is what makes you who you are," said Axel, crossing his arms and sounding very much like he was trying to remember a lecture he had forgotten to take notes on. "The heart is proof that you exist. And you lost that, like you said. But when a person with a particularly strong heart becomes a Heartless, the body might become what is called a Nobody, like me and you, now. We don't have hearts, so we aren't exactly real people, see? We can't exactly feel without one, either. but we remember what it's like to feel, or something like that. I'm not exactly good at explaining this stuff."

"I don't have a heart?" The boy stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. "That's... That's crazy!" He took a step away from Axel. "I have to go back to Hollow Bastion! My friends need me there!"

Axel frowned. "Go back? Look, I know you think you're upset but-"

"Axel, they're my friends!" The boy gave him his most effective glare. "Heart or no heart, I need to help them!"

"Roxas..."

The boy shook his head. "My name isn't Roxas! It's Sora!"

Axel sighed. "Fine, we'll go to Hollow Bastion. But don't be surprised if your friends aren't there anymore."

"They might not be," Sora agreed. "But as long as they've gone somewhere safe, that's fine with me. I don't want to see them get hurt."

The redhead shrugged. "Whatever you say. But first..." He picked up the black coat that Sora had refused to wear and threw it at him. "Put this on. Our way of travel isn't the safest, and this is all you'll have to protect you."

Sora looked at Axel warily. "How do we travel, exactly?"

Axel gave him a wide grin. "Ever heard of a Corridor of Darkness?"

-o-

 **This is just a short little story idea I've been playing with in my head for a little while. According to the games, the reason Roxas didn't remember anything about being Sora was because Sora was restored to human form. So if Kairi never restored Sora, wouldn't Roxas have his memories? And knowing Sora, even if he felt something was wrong, he'd brush it off and insist that he's still him.**

 **Unlike many ideas I've had, this one I felt confident enough writing and posting. I can't deny that it was better in my head, but I'm still proud of what I wrote. I did write part of a second chapter, but my laptop decided to shut itself down and I lost it. At the moment, I don't feel like writing it all over again, and I'm not sure if anyone would be interested yet. Maybe if people like the idea enough, I may continue. And my writing ability can only improve, after all.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Sheesh, I had no idea this place was such a mess!" Axel grimaced as he looked around at Hollow Bastion. The two Nobodies had emerged from the Corridor of Darkness just outside the front entrance. "How exactly are you supposed to find you way around this dump?"

"Well, last time I was here, I was able to sort of clear a path," said Sora, taking a few steps towards the door. "It's not the most straightforward path, but it should be okay."

"As long as you know what you're doing," said Axel. "So. Let's get you the Keyhole so you can seal it, then get out before anyone sees us."

Sora looked at the redhead in confusion. "Why don't we want anyone to see us? We're here to help."

"Look, first of all, people aren't supposed to know about the Organization in the first place, so we can't let ourselves be seen. Second of all," Axel gestured to himself and Sora. "Two strangers in ominous black coats approaching the Keyhole in a world filled with darkness? Yeah, that doesn't look suspicious at all."

"Oh." Sora crossed his arms, thinking for a moment. "Well... I'm not a member of the Organization myself, and I know about it. And the black coat is easy," he said, already taking it off. "See? Not a problem."

However, Axel shook his head. "You might not look as suspicious, but as far as everyone's concerned, you're still a complete stranger. Our reports said that you had brown hair and wore a lot of red, with ridiculous yellow shoes. Looking at you now, well..."

Sora looked down at himself, remembering that his clothes had changed. "Oh. And now that you mention it, my voice has changed too!" He frowned. "Is that normal? What else changed about me?"

Axel shrugged. "I dunno, man. Most of us look pretty much the same as our original selves. I just figured it was some kinda Keyblader thing. And you had that girl's heart in you too or something, right?"

"Something like that," said Sora. "So... Will people really not recognize me?"

"Well..." Axel rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground. "I mean, you kinda look like this kid a met a while back, but that was 10 years ago and my memory is a bit hazy." He chuckled to himself. "Guess I didn't get it memorized. But you know... What I do remember about him is that when we sparred, the toy sword he used was kinda shaped like a key. Maybe he knew something about the Keyblade."

"Really?!" Sora stared at the red-haired man with wide eyes. "There's others who can tell me about it? Do you know where he is?!"

"Hey, hey, easy." Axel frowned at the overeager Keyblade wielder. "I told you, it was a long time ago. For all I know, the kid's dead by now. The world I saw him on was destroyed a year or so after that."

"Oh..." Sora frowned. "Well, maybe he's still out there! Just... older, I guess. And if he knew about the Keyblade, maybe there's others out there!"

Axel ruffled the blonde's hair, despite his protests. "Come on. Enough chit chat. You came here to seal the Keyhole. Get it memorized, already."

"Right, sorry." Sora turned towards the door. "Come on. Let's go."

"Lead the way, Keybearer," said Axel, giving him a mock bow.

"Gawrsh. Are you okay, Kairi?" Goofy asked her as he and Donald walked up to the princess. The three of them had been ambushed by a swarm of Heartless in Traverse Town's second district. While trying to fight them off, they had been separated from Kairi. By the time they had realized it, she had nearly been overwhelmed when a flash of light appeared, nearly blinding them. When the light had faded, most of the Heartless had been destroyed, and Kairi held a flowery Keyblade of her own in her hand.

"I-I think so," said Kairi, nodding while staring at the blade she was holding.

"How'd you get a Keyblade?" asked Donald. "I thought Sora was the only one!"

"Well, maybe it's because Sora's..." Goofy trailed off, not wanting to finish what he was saying. "Maybe it just had to move on."

"But Sora's never looked like that," Donald protested. "Even when Riku took it, it looked the same."

"It's not Sora's," said Kairi, shaking her head. "I know it's not. I'd be able to tell if it was."

"How come?"

Kairi shook her head. "Guys... I think I have it for a reason. The Keyhole in Hollow Bastion is still open, and someone needs to close it. And then, we need to find Ansem and beat him, right?" The dog and duck both nodded, and Kairi went on. "So... Maybe I have to be the one to do it. And then we can find Riku and your King, and Sora too."

Donald and Goofy exchanged a look. "But Kairi," said Goofy slowly. "You saw what happened to Sora... He's gone."

Kairi shook her head. "He's not. I can feel it. He may have changed... but he's still out there. I know it."

The Princesses of Hearts that had stayed in Hollow Bastion (aside from Belle) were gathered together in the castle's chapel, using their power to hold back the darkness that was threatening to pour from the Keyhole. The oldest- or rather, three who had been captured 10 years ago seemed to have an understanding of what was going on, though their grasp of their powers was little more than instinctual, and Alice and Jasmine didn't fare any better. Belle continued to lend them her own power, though she had moved into the library to see if she could find any information about the darkness or even their own powers.

They had been able to keep the darkness at bay for a couple days, but each one of them could feel their strength beginning to wane. The Keyhole would have to be sealed soon, but with the only remaining Keyblade wielder gone, what could they do?

Alice was the first one to hear the footsteps approaching. "Over there!" She exclaimed, pointing towards the hall that led into the chapel. The other princesses all turned to look as a boy with windswept blonde hair and bright blue eyes ran into the room, Keyblade in hand. He came to a halt as soon as he realized they were all staring at him.

"Oh... Hi guys," he said, smiling widely. "Sorry, I know you don't recognize me but-"

"Why Ventus! Is it really you?" Snow White clasped her hands together in surprise as the boy turned to her in confusion. "I thought surely you had been lost too!"

"Wha..?" The boy furrowed his eyebrows, clearly not comprehending what was going on.

Cinderella stepped forward then. "Why yes! It is you, isn't it? I recognize your heart. Although, you were so much smaller then." She chuckled into her hand.

"Wait... What are you guys talking about?" The Keyblade wielder looked between them in confusion. "Sorry, I'm not this Ventus guy."

"That's right," said Jasmine, stepping closer with a smile. "You're Sora, aren't you?"

The boy- Sora- grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it's me! But uh... How could you tell?"

Jasmine giggled. "I guess it comes with being a Princess of Heart. Although you certainly do seem different, and not just because of your appearance."

Alice pursed her lips. "Does it have anything to do with how you lost your heart?"

Sora opened his mouth to respond, but Cinderella cut him off. "But he does have a heart. Just... not his own, I suppose." She reached out to place a hand against Sora's chest. "You have Ventus' heart and appearance, so that should make you Ventus... but you aren't really him."

"Well, yes, now that you mention it, I do sense a heart in him," said Jasmine. "But the Beast said he saw Sora use that Keyblade on himself, which should have caused him to lose his heart."

"Um..." Sora frowned, turning his head towards the hall he came in. "Axel said- huh?" He turned around fully, and looked around a bit. "Where'd he go..?"

"Where did who go?" asked Aurora, speaking for the first time. She had not met either Sora or Ventus, and had not been sure how to contribute to the conversation until now.

"A friend, I guess," he said, before shrugging and turning back around to face the princesses. "Anyway, he told me that I'm a Nobody, so I shouldn't have a heart... But you all say that I do, right?" They all nodded. "Then... What am I exactly? Because I know I'm Sora, but something doesn't feel right. And I have no idea who Ventus is, but you say I have his heart, and I don't know how either. But since I have a heart that means I'm not a Nobody... but as me, I lost my heart, so..." He held his head in his hands and groaned softly. "This is so confusing!"

The Princesses all looked at once another, unsure of how to help, before Aurora stepped forwards and bent to Sora's level, placing one hand on his shoulder gently. "Listen to me. You may have Sora's memories, and you have Ventus' heart, and this makes you a little bit of both, and at the same time neither. Whoever you are is up to you to decide. But," she cut him off before he could protest. "I know what you are."

"Really?" The boy looked at her in bewilderment. "What?"

Aurora smiled brightly at him. "You're the Keyblade wielder. And you came here for a reason, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah!" He brightened. "I came to seal the Keyhole."

"Off you go, then," she said with a smile."

"Alright, and thanks." He started to run towards the Lift Stop that led to the Keyhole, but stopped just outside the door. "Oh, before I forget, just who was Ventus anyway?"

Snow White was the one that spoke this time. "Why, long ago, Ventus saved me! Much like you, he and his friends all had their own Key."

"They all had their own..?" He thought about it for a moment before smiling. "Okay, thanks. That'll give me something to think about after I seal the Keyhole. I'll see you then!" He waved before charging out of the room. The Princesses all waved him off, also smiling.

It wasn't until after he was gone that they began to notice a sinister presence in the room, and they all turned to see whatever it was that had appeared in the chapel with them.

-o-

 **I am simultaneously pleased and displeased with this chapter, especially the scene with the Princesses of Heart. I feel like the writing itself is actually decent this time, but the way the scene played out was... Well... I dunno. At a certain point when writing, you kinda lose control of what the characters say and do, and maybe stuff is found out a little too early, or certain things are said before they should be (Curse you, Aurora!).**

 **Originally, I wrote this as two chapters, but eventually I decided I liked it more as one longer chapter rather than two smaller ones. They do make more sense together in my opinion, but maybe I'm wrong.**

 **Figuring out how to write for Snow White was fun, but a bit of a challenge. If you listen to her, you'll notice that she often speaks in rhymes. Not always, and not perfect, but enough that it's noticeable. And then there's Aurora... I have mixed feelings about her as a Disney Princess, but between everyone present in the room she was the only one that hadn't met either boy, so she was the most likely to be the most unbiased one there.**


End file.
